US20150217722A1 - Seat belt retractor and seat belt apparatus employing seat belt retractor - Google Patents
Seat belt retractor and seat belt apparatus employing seat belt retractor Download PDFInfo
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- US20150217722A1 US20150217722A1 US14/431,231 US201314431231A US2015217722A1 US 20150217722 A1 US20150217722 A1 US 20150217722A1 US 201314431231 A US201314431231 A US 201314431231A US 2015217722 A1 US2015217722 A1 US 2015217722A1
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- seat belt
- function
- sensor
- webbing
- vehicle sensor
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- 230000002265 prevention Effects 0.000 claims description 11
- 210000000078 claw Anatomy 0.000 abstract description 32
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 9
- 230000002159 abnormal effect Effects 0.000 description 6
- 230000002093 peripheral effect Effects 0.000 description 6
- 230000007257 malfunction Effects 0.000 description 5
- 230000001133 acceleration Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000013459 approach Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000001514 detection method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000006073 displacement reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000009295 sperm incapacitation Effects 0.000 description 1
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Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B60R22/00—Safety belts or body harnesses in vehicles
- B60R22/34—Belt retractors, e.g. reels
- B60R22/36—Belt retractors, e.g. reels self-locking in an emergency
- B60R22/40—Belt retractors, e.g. reels self-locking in an emergency responsive only to vehicle movement
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B60R22/00—Safety belts or body harnesses in vehicles
- B60R22/34—Belt retractors, e.g. reels
- B60R22/347—Belt retractors, e.g. reels with means for permanently locking the retractor during the wearing of the belt
- B60R22/35—Belt retractors, e.g. reels with means for permanently locking the retractor during the wearing of the belt the locking means being automatically actuated
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B60R22/00—Safety belts or body harnesses in vehicles
- B60R22/34—Belt retractors, e.g. reels
- B60R22/36—Belt retractors, e.g. reels self-locking in an emergency
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B60R22/00—Safety belts or body harnesses in vehicles
- B60R22/34—Belt retractors, e.g. reels
- B60R22/36—Belt retractors, e.g. reels self-locking in an emergency
- B60R22/405—Belt retractors, e.g. reels self-locking in an emergency responsive to belt movement and vehicle movement
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B60R22/00—Safety belts or body harnesses in vehicles
- B60R22/34—Belt retractors, e.g. reels
- B60R22/36—Belt retractors, e.g. reels self-locking in an emergency
- B60R22/41—Belt retractors, e.g. reels self-locking in an emergency with additional means for preventing locking during unwinding under predetermined conditions
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B60R22/00—Safety belts or body harnesses in vehicles
- B60R22/34—Belt retractors, e.g. reels
- B60R22/36—Belt retractors, e.g. reels self-locking in an emergency
- B60R22/415—Belt retractors, e.g. reels self-locking in an emergency with additional means allowing a permanent locking of the retractor during the wearing of the belt
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B60R22/00—Safety belts or body harnesses in vehicles
- B60R22/34—Belt retractors, e.g. reels
- B60R2022/3419—Belt retractors, e.g. reels with end lock preventing means
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a technical field of a seat belt retractor that is equipped in a vehicle, such as an automobile, and that retracts webbing serving as a seat belt with a spool and relates to a seat belt apparatus that restricts an occupant with the seat belt that has been withdrawn from the seat belt retractor.
- a seat belt apparatus installed on a seat of a vehicle, such as an automobile, restricts the occupant with a seat belt constituted by webbing in times of emergency (hereinafter, merely referred to as in an emergency), such as vehicular collision in which deceleration that is substantially larger than deceleration occurring during normal traveling acts on the vehicle.
- a seat belt apparatus is provided with a seat belt retractor.
- Many of the conventional seat belt retractors include a vehicle sensor that stops withdrawal of the seat belt by being operated upon a large deceleration in an emergency, and a webbing sensor that stops withdrawal of the seat belt by being operated when the seat belt is rapidly drawn out at a rate that is higher than the normal seat belt withdrawal rate in order to fasten the seat belt, for example (in other words, with an acceleration of withdrawal that is larger than a normal acceleration of withdrawal when fastening the seat belt).
- the vehicle sensor is operated by vibration or the like while the vehicle is travelling even in a seat belt apparatus or the like that is installed on a vehicle seat on which no occupant is sitting and in which the seat belt is not fastened thereto.
- cancellation (incapacitation) of the intrinsic function of the vehicle sensor which is the vehicle sensor not operating except for when the seat belt is fastened around the occupant and stopping the withdrawal of the seat belt by being operated in an emergency, is desired.
- a seat belt retractor that exerts the intrinsic function of the vehicle sensor described above when in a state in which the seat belt is fastened around the occupant and, further, that cancels (incapacitates) the intrinsic function of the vehicle sensor at a predetermined condition, other than when the seat belt is fastened around the occupant, that has been set in advance has been proposed (see PTL 1, for example).
- the seat belt retractor described in PTL 1 includes a ring gear that integrally rotates with a spool, and a control lever.
- the ring gear In a state in which the seat belt is withdrawn by a predetermined amount from the seat belt retractor, the ring gear does not allow the control lever to operate; accordingly, the control lever permits the vehicle sensor to operate and enables the intrinsic function of the vehicle sensor to be exerted.
- the ring gear that rotates in accordance with the rotation of the spool in the seat belt retraction direction operates the control lever; accordingly; in a state in which the spool, at least, retracts the total amount of the seat belt, the control lever stops the operation of the vehicle sensor such that the intrinsic function of the vehicle sensor is cancelled.
- a seat belt retractor has been proposed (see PTL 2, for example) that cancels (incapacitates) the intrinsic function of the webbing sensor that is operated and stops the withdrawal of the seat belt when the total amount of the seat belt is retracted.
- the seat belt retractor described in PTL 2 includes an inertia plate that swings upon rapid seat belt withdrawal, a webbing sensor gear that is rotatably provided and that includes internal teeth and external teeth, a webbing sensor pawl that is operated upon swinging of the inertia plate and that engages with an internal tooth of the webbing sensor gear, and a gear rotation control pawl that stops the rotation of the webbing sensor gear by engaging with an external tooth of the webbing sensor gear.
- the gear rotation control pawl engages with an external tooth of the webbing sensor gear and makes the webbing sensor gear non-rotatable.
- the gear rotation control pawl is separated from the external teeth of the webbing sensor gear and allows the webbing sensor gear to rotate.
- the seat belt retractor described in PTL 1 is not provided with a webbing sensor; accordingly, the function of the webbing sensor cannot be exerted and, further, the function of the webbing sensor cannot be cancelled at a predetermined condition.
- the seat belt retractor described in PTL 2 is provided with, in addition to the webbing sensor, the vehicle sensor as well, the function of the vehicle sensor cannot be cancelled at a predetermined condition. Accordingly, consideration of combining the cancellation function of the vehicle sensor described in PTL 1 and the cancellation function of the webbing sensor described in PTL 2 together, and regarding the cancellation the function of the vehicle sensor and the cancellation of the function of the webbing sensor, cancelling both the functions at a predetermined condition can be made.
- the present invention has been made in view of the above situation and an object thereof is to, with a simple structure and with a fewer number of parts, provide a seat belt retractor that is capable cancelling both a function of a vehicle sensor and a function of a webbing sensor at a predetermined condition and to provide a seat belt apparatus that employs the seat belt retractor.
- a seat belt retractor is a seat belt retractor including at least a spool that retracts a seat belt that restricts an occupant, the seat belt retractor including a vehicle sensor that operates in an emergency in which a deceleration that is larger than a deceleration applied to a vehicle at normal times is applied, the vehicle sensor having a function of stopping rotation of the spool in a seat belt withdrawal direction; a webbing sensor that operates when the seat belt is rapidly withdrawn at a rate that is larger than a withdrawal rate at normal times, the webbing sensor having a function of stopping the rotation of the spool in the seat belt withdrawal direction; a vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control mechanism that controls cancellation of the function of the vehicle sensor and cancellation of the function of the webbing sensor; and a cancellation-cancelling prevention unit that, when a large load with respect to a load applied at normal times is applied to the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control mechanism from the vehicle sensor while in
- the cancellation-cancelling prevention unit prevents the cancellation of the function of the webbing sensor from being canceled due to the large load performed by the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control mechanism.
- the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control mechanism controls the vehicle sensor and the webbing sensor such that the function of the vehicle sensor and the function of the webbing sensor are canceled.
- the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control mechanism includes a vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control member that controls the cancellation of the function of the vehicle sensor and the cancellation of the function of the webbing sensor, and a control cam member that controls an operation of the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control member by rotating together with the rotation of the spool.
- the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control member is a control lever that is operated and controlled by the control cam member.
- control lever includes a first lever that cancels the function of the vehicle sensor, and a second lever that is connected to the first lever so as to be capable of being relatively displaced and that cancels the function of the webbing sensor.
- the cancellation-cancelling prevention unit is constituted by the control cam member.
- a seat belt apparatus includes a seat belt that restricts an occupant; a seat belt retractor that retracts the seat belt while allowing the seat belt to be withdrawn, the seat belt retractor operating in an emergency so as to stop withdrawal of the seat belt; a tongue that is slidably supported by the seat belt that has been withdrawn from the seat belt retractor; and a buckle that is provided on the vehicle body or on the vehicle seat, the tongue being locked to the buckle so as to be capable of being engaged and disengaged, in which the seat belt retractor according to any one of the above-described seat belt retractors according to the present invention is used as the seat belt retractor.
- both the function of the vehicle sensor and the function of the webbing sensor can be exerted. Furthermore, the cancellation of the function of the vehicle sensor and the cancellation of the webbing sensor can both be controlled with the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control mechanism. Accordingly, with a simple configuration employing a single vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control mechanism, the cancellation of the function of the vehicle sensor and the cancellation of the function of the webbing sensor can each be controlled easily.
- the function of the vehicle sensor and the function of the webbing sensor are each canceled. Furthermore, by cancelling the function of the vehicle sensor as above, the vehicle sensor can be made inoperable. With the above, it is possible to prevent abnormal sound from occurring from the vehicle sensor of the seat belt retractor that is not used while the vehicle is travelling. Furthermore, by cancellation of the function of the webbing sensor as described above, the webbing sensor can be made inoperable. With the above, when, at least, the spool has stopped after the total amount of the seat belt has been retracted, end lock that occurs by unintentional operation of the webbing sensor can be prevented.
- the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control mechanism can be used in the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control mechanism, the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function mechanism can be formed without the need of any large design change and increase in the number of parts can be suppressed. As a result, while enabling control of cancelling the function of the vehicle sensor and cancelling of the function of the webbing sensor, the seat belt retractor can be formed in a compact manner.
- the seat belt retractor of the present invention it would be possible to exert the function of the vehicle sensor and the function of the webbing sensor and to cancel the above functions at a predetermined condition with a simple structure and with a fewer number of parts.
- the seat belt apparatus of the present invention since it is possible to prevent occurrence of an abnormal sound and occurrence of an end lock in the seat belt retractor in a further effective manner, the manipulability of the seat belt is improved, the fastening operation of the seat belt performed by the occupant can be performed in a smooth and stable manner, and the comfort while the vehicle is travelling can be improved.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a seat belt apparatus provided with an example of an embodiment of a seat belt retractor according to the present invention.
- FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the seat belt retractor of the example.
- FIG. 3 is a longitudinal section of the seat belt retractor of the example.
- FIG. 4 illustrates the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control member of the seat belt retractor in which FIG. 4(A) is a perspective view of a first lever, FIG. 4(B) is a perspective view of a second lever, FIG. 4(C) is a perspective view of the assembly, FIG. 4(D) is a front view, FIG. 4(E) is a bottom view, and FIG. 4(F) is a right side view.
- FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state of a cam plate and the first and second levers when the seat belt of the example is fully retracted.
- FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state of a ring gear and the first and second levers when the seat belt of the example is fully retracted.
- FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a state of the cam plate and the first and second levers when the seat belt of the example is withdrawn by a predetermined amount.
- FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a state of the ring gear and the first and second levers when the seat belt of the example is withdrawn by a predetermined amount.
- FIG. 9(A) is a diagram for describing the abutting state between a lock claw of the first lever and a tooth tip of a ratchet tooth of the ring gear
- FIG. 9(B) is a diagram for describing an engaged state after the abutment between the lock claw of the first lever and the tooth tip of the ratchet tooth of the ring gear has been canceled.
- FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a seat belt apparatus provided with an example of an embodiment of a seat belt retractor according to the present invention.
- a seat belt apparatus 1 of the example is basically the same as conventionally known three-point seat belt apparatuses.
- 1 is the seat belt apparatus
- 2 is a vehicle seat
- 3 is a seat belt retractor disposed in the vicinity of the vehicle seat 2
- 4 is a seat belt that is retracted in the seat belt retractor 3 while being allowed to be withdrawn and in which a belt anchor 4 a at the distal end thereof is fixed to a floor of the vehicle body or to the vehicle seat 2
- 5 is a guide anchor that guides the seat belt 4 , which has been withdrawn from the seat belt retractor 3 , towards a shoulder of an occupant
- 6 is a tongue that is slidably supported by the seat belt 4 that has been guided from the guide anchor 5
- 7 is a buckle that is fixed to the floor of the vehicle or to the vehicle seat and in which the tongue 6 is inserted and engaged so as to be capable of being engaged and disengaged.
- the seat belt retractor 3 includes, similar to conventionally known typical seat belt retractors, a U-shaped frame 8 including a back plate 8 a and left and right side walls 8 b and 8 c each having a circular opening; a spool 9 that is disposed concentrically or in a substantially concentric manner with respect to the openings of the sidewalls 8 b and 8 c on both sides of the frame 8 and that is disposed in a rotatable manner so as to retract the seat belt 4 ; a spring mechanism 10 that constantly biases the spool 9 in a seat belt retraction direction; a lock gear 11 that is fitted to and supported by a rotating shaft 9 a of the spool 9 in a concentric manner and that includes a predetermined number of ratchet teeth 11 a in the outer periphery thereof, the lock gear 11 integrally rotating with the rotating shaft 9 a when the rotation is not stopped and the rotating shaft 9 a being relatively rotated when the rotation
- a lock mechanism is configured that locks the rotation of the spool 9 in the seat belt withdrawal direction with the internal teeth 8 d of the side wall 8 c and the pawl 14
- a lock operating and controlling mechanism that operates and controls the lock mechanism is configured with the lock gear 11 .
- the configuration and operation of the above seat belt retractor 3 are the same as those of the seat belt retractor described in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-61810 and can be easily understood by referring to the above publication before examination; accordingly, detailed description thereof is omitted.
- the seat belt retractor 3 of the example includes a retainer 15 , a bearing cap 16 , a ring gear 17 , an eccentric disc 18 , an eccentric gear 19 , a cam plate 20 , a cover 21 , a first lever 22 , a second lever 23 , a first lever biasing spring 24 , and a second lever biasing spring 25 .
- the retainer 15 is attached to the right side wall 8 c of the frame 8 in an attachable and detachable manner.
- the retainer 15 includes a cylindrical support projection 15 a and a predetermined number of annular internal teeth 15 b .
- the bearing cap 16 is rotatably fitted in an integral member to an end portion of the rotating shaft 9 a of the spool 9 and is rotatably supported by the retainer 15 .
- the rotating shaft 9 a of the spool 9 is rotatably supported by the retainer 15 .
- the ring gear 17 is rotatably supported by the support projection 15 a of the retainer 15 .
- the ring gear 17 includes annular internal teeth 17 a as well as annular ratchet teeth 17 b that are external teeth on the outer peripheral surface thereof.
- the lock claw 12 b of the flywheel 12 can be engaged to the annular internal teeth 17 a . Furthermore, engagement of the lock claw 12 b to an internal tooth 17 a of the ring gear 17 , the rotation of which has been stopped, stops the rotation of the lock gear 11 .
- the eccentric disc 18 is fitted into an end portion of the bearing cap 16 in an integral and rotatable manner and is rotatably supported by a support projection 21 a of the cover 21 that is attached to the retainer 15 in an attachable and detachable manner. Accordingly, the eccentric disc 18 is rotatable in an integral manner with the spool 9 .
- the eccentric gear 19 is formed in a disc shape and is fitted and supported to the outer peripheral surface 18 a of the eccentric disc 18 in a relatively rotatable manner. In the above case, when the eccentric disc 18 (in other words, the spool 9 ) rotates, the center of the eccentric gear 19 rotates (eccentrically rotates) while being displaced in the radial direction from the rotation center of the spool 9 .
- the eccentric gear 19 includes external teeth 19 a that are provided in an annular manner on the outer peripheral surface thereof.
- some of the external teeth 19 a of the eccentric gear 19 mesh with some of the internal teeth 15 b of the retainer 15 and the remaining external teeth 19 a of the eccentric gear 19 are set apart from the remaining internal teeth 15 b of the retainer 15 .
- the eccentric gear 19 eccentrically rotates upon rotation of the spool 9 , the meshing position between the external teeth 19 a of the eccentric gear 19 and the internal teeth 15 b of the retainer 15 that are meshed to each other sequentially changes; accordingly, the eccentric gear 19 rotates in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the spool 9 while being decelerated.
- the eccentric gear 19 includes an integral rotation pin 19 b that is provided so as to stand in a direction orthogonal or substantially orthogonal to a flat surface of the eccentric gear 19 (in other words, a direction orthogonal or substantially orthogonal to the axial direction of the spool 9 ).
- the cam plate 20 constitutes a control cam member of the present invention and is fitted to and supported by an inner peripheral surface of a cylindrical support projection 21 b of the cover 21 in a rotatable manner.
- the cam plate 20 includes an outer peripheral surface formed with a cam profile.
- the cam profile includes, on the outer peripheral surface, a first cam portion 20 a that is an arc with a large diameter and a second cam portion 20 b that is an arc with a small diameter.
- the first and second cam portions 20 a and 20 b are formed of concentric arcs.
- the cam plate 20 includes a rectangular integral rotation hole 20 c that extends in the radial direction.
- the integral rotation hole 20 c is provided in an area corresponding to the second cam portion 20 b in the circumferential direction.
- the integral rotation pin 19 b of the eccentric gear 19 is engaged in the integral rotation hole 20 c so as to be slidable along the longitudinal direction of the integral rotation hole 20 c (in other words, the radial direction of the cam plate 20 ) and is engaged in the integral rotation hole 20 c in the circumferential direction so as to be fitted such that relative displacement is disabled. Accordingly, upon rotation of the eccentric gear 19 , the eccentric gear 19 and the cam plate 20 are integrally rotated and the eccentric gear 19 is eccentrically displaced in the radial direction in a relative manner with respect to the cam plate 20 .
- the first lever 22 includes a cylindrical rotary shaft 22 a , and the rotary shaft 22 a is pivotally supported by a support shaft 21 c by being fitted in the support shaft 21 c that is provided so as to be erected on the cover 21 .
- the first lever 22 includes a cam follower 22 b and a lock claw 22 c (details illustrated in FIG. 9 ) that is provided on the other end portion and on the backside in FIG. 4(A) .
- the cam follower 22 b controls the pivoting of the first lever 22 by abutting against the first and second cam portions 20 a and 20 b and by being displaced so as to follow the cam surfaces of the first and second cam portions 20 a and 20 b . (Note that by controlling the rotation of the first lever 22 , the rotation of second lever 23 is indirectly controlled.)
- the cam follower 22 b is abutted against the first cam portion 20 a
- the lock claw 22 c is set apart from the ratchet teeth 17 b of the ring gear 17 and is not engaged with a ratchet tooth 17 b .
- the ring gear 17 becomes freely rotatable.
- the second lever 23 includes a rotary shaft hole 23 a provided on one end portion and an actuator holding portion 23 b disposed on the other end portion (an end portion on the opposite side of the rotary shaft 23 a ). Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG. 4(C) the rotary shaft hole 23 a of the second lever 23 is externally fitted to the rotary shaft 22 a of the first lever 22 in a pivotal manner.
- the first lever 22 is capable of relatively pivoting at a set relative angle that has been set in advance with respect to the second lever 23 between a cancellation position illustrated by a solid line and a cancellation cancelling position illustrated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 4(D) .
- the first lever 22 In the cancellation position of the first lever 22 , the first lever 22 becomes relatively non-pivotal with respect to the second lever 23 in a direction (the anticlockwise direction in FIG. 4(D) ) in which the cam follower 22 b is separated from the first and second cam portions 20 a and 20 b . Furthermore, in the cancellation cancelling position of the first lever 22 , the first lever 22 becomes relatively non-pivotal with respect to the second lever 23 in a direction (the clockwise direction in FIG. 4(D) ) in which the cam follower 22 b approaches the first and second cam portions 20 a and 20 b .
- the first lever biasing spring 24 is disposed between the first lever 22 and the cover 21 and constantly biases the first lever 22 in a direction in which the cam follower 22 b of the first lever 22 abuts against the first and second cam portions 20 a and 20 b of the cam plate 20 .
- the second lever biasing spring 25 is disposed between the first lever 22 and the second lever 23 and constantly and relatively biases the first lever 22 towards the cancellation cancelling position illustrated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 4(D) with respect to the second lever 23 .
- the biasing force of the second lever biasing spring 25 is set smaller than the biasing force of the first lever biasing spring 24 .
- a vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control member 26 that is a control lever of the present invention is constituted by the first and second levers 22 and 23 and the first and second lever biasing springs 24 and 25 .
- FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an inoperable state of the vehicle sensor set by the second lever when the seat belt is fully retracted
- FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an inoperable state of the webbing sensor set by the first lever when the seat belt is fully retracted.
- the large diameter first cam portion 20 a of the cam plate 20 is oriented downwards and, with the biasing force of the first lever biasing spring 24 , the cam follower 22 b is abutted against the first cam portion 20 a .
- the first lever 22 countering the biasing force of the second lever biasing spring 25 is relatively pivoted with respect to the second lever 23 and is in the cancellation position.
- the actuator holding portion 23 b of the second lever 23 abuts against the actuator 13 b of the vehicle sensor 13 and urges the actuator 13 b to a non-operable position; accordingly, the vehicle sensor 13 is set to an inoperable state.
- the inertia ball 13 a of the seat belt retractor 3 of the seat belt apparatus 1 which is not used having no occupant, does not slide and no abnormal noise is generated.
- the lock claw 13 c of the vehicle sensor 13 is maintained at a non-operable position in which the lock claw 13 c of the vehicle sensor 13 does not engage with a ratchet tooth 11 a of the lock gear 11 . Accordingly, the function of the vehicle sensor 13 is canceled.
- the lock claw 22 c of the first lever 22 is separated from the ratchet teeth 17 b of the ring gear 17 ; accordingly, the ring gear 17 is rotatable in either of the directions, namely, the seat belt withdrawal direction and the seat belt retraction direction. Accordingly, the webbing sensor 12 is in an inoperable state and the function of the webbing sensor 12 is in a canceled state. Note that in FIG. 6 , although a state in which the lock claw 12 b of the webbing sensor 12 is engaged with an internal tooth 17 a of the ring gear 17 is illustrated, the lock claw 12 b may be separated from the internal teeth 17 a .
- the eccentric gear 19 is displaced in a substantially obliquely upper right direction in FIG. 5 with respect to the cam plate 20 and is eccentric with respect to the center of the cam plate 20 (in other words, the center of the spool 9 ). Accordingly, some of the external teeth 19 a of the eccentric gear 19 positioned in the obliquely upper right direction mesh with the internal teeth 15 b of the retainer 15 and, further, a predetermined number of external teeth 19 a of the eccentric gear 19 including the external teeth 19 a positioned in the obliquely lower left direction that is not illustrated in FIG. 5 are not meshed with the internal teeth 15 b of the retainer 15 .
- the seat belt retractor 3 While the seat belt retractor 3 is in the state illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 , for example, when the occupant withdraws the seat belt 4 at a normal withdrawal rate to fasten the seat belt 4 , the spool 9 countering the biasing force of the spring mechanism 10 rotates clockwise in FIG. 6 . (Note that although the spool 9 is not illustrated in FIG. 6 , the rotation of the above spool 9 upon clockwise rotation of the rotating shaft 9 a of the spool 9 can be understood normally in FIG.
- the eccentric gear 19 in an eccentric state, is decelerated and is rotated clockwise that is the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the spool 9 due to meshing between the external teeth 19 a and the internal teeth 15 b . Since the integral rotation pin 19 b of the eccentric gear 19 and the integral rotation hole 20 c of the cam plate 20 are engaged with each other in the circumferential direction, the cam plate 20 rotates in a direction that is the same as the rotation direction of the eccentric gear 19 .
- the actuator holding portion 23 b With the pivoting of the second lever 23 , the actuator holding portion 23 b is separated from the actuator 13 b of the vehicle sensor 13 . With the above, the actuator 13 b of the vehicle sensor 13 becomes operable and the cancellation of the function of the vehicle sensor 13 becomes canceled (is turned off) such that a state in which the function of the vehicle sensor 13 can be exerted is reached.
- the function of the vehicle sensor 13 is in a canceled state and both the inertia ball 13 a and the actuator 13 b are non-swingable.
- abnormal sound generated by sliding of the inertia ball 13 a and the actuator 13 b while the vehicle is traveling is prevented.
- the flywheel 12 when the seat belt 4 is withdrawn in a seat belt withdrawal rate that is higher and more rapid than the normal seat belt withdrawal rate, the flywheel 12 is swung and the lock claw 12 b is engaged with an internal tooth 17 b of the ring gear 17 . Then, upon withdrawal of the seat belt 4 , the ring gear 17 is biased so as to rotate in the seat belt withdrawal direction; however, since the rotation of the ring gear 17 in the seat belt withdrawal direction is stopped, rapid withdrawal of the seat belt 4 is stopped.
- the spool 9 rotates in an anticlockwise direction (the seat belt retraction direction) in FIG. 8 with the biasing force of the spring mechanism 10 .
- the spool 9 is not illustrated in FIG. 8 , in FIG. 8 , the rotation of the above spool 9 upon anticlockwise rotation of the rotating shaft 9 a of the spool 9 can be understood normally.
- the seat belt 4 is retracted in the spool 9 .
- the actuator holding portion 23 b of the second lever 23 abuts against the actuator 13 b of the vehicle sensor 13 and urges the actuator 13 b to a non-operable position and the pivoting of the second lever 23 stops.
- the pivoting of the first lever 22 stops and the cam follower 22 b abuts against the first cam portion 22 a .
- the lock claw 22 c of the first lever 22 is separated from the ratchet teeth 17 b of the ring gear 17 ; accordingly, the ring gear 17 becomes capable of pivoting in either of the directions, namely, the seat belt withdrawal direction and the seat belt retraction direction. Accordingly, the function of the webbing sensor 12 is canceled.
- a single vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control member 26 is constituted by the first and second levers 22 and 23 . Furthermore, a vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function mechanism that controls the cancellation of each of the function of the vehicle sensor 13 and the function of the webbing sensor 12 is constituted by the retainer 15 , the ring gear 17 , the eccentric gear 19 , the cam plate 20 , and the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control member 26 .
- a rotating shaft 22 a of the first lever 22 and the rotating shaft 23 a of the second lever 23 are fitted so as to be coaxial to each other and the cam follower 22 b of the first lever 22 and the actuator holding portion 23 b of the second lever 23 are disposed on the same side with respect to the two coaxial rotating shafts 22 a and 23 a . Furthermore, the cam follower 22 b of the first lever 22 escaping from the small diameter second cam portion 20 b and abutting against the large diameter first cam portion 20 a pivot the first and second levers 22 and 23 in the same direction.
- the cam follower 22 b of the first lever 22 and the actuator holding portion 23 b of the second lever 23 pivot in the same direction. Furthermore, when the actuator holding portion 23 b abuts against the actuator 13 b and urges the actuator 13 b , pivoting of the second lever 23 stops. With the above, the function of the vehicle sensor 13 is set to a canceled state as described above. Even when the pivoting of the second lever 23 stops, the first lever 22 relatively pivots with respect to the second lever 23 while contracting the second spring 25 , and when at the cancellation position, pivoting of the first lever 22 stops. With the above, the function of the webbing sensor 12 is set to a canceled state as described above.
- the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control member 26 does not malfunction and the canceled state of each of the functions of the webbing sensor 12 and the vehicle sensor 13 is maintained.
- the first cam portion 20 a constitutes a cancellation-cancelling prevention unit of the present invention.
- the function of the vehicle sensor 13 and the function of the webbing sensor 12 can both be exerted. Furthermore, the cancellation of the function of the vehicle sensor 13 and the cancellation of the function of the webbing sensor 12 are controlled by the retainer 15 , the ring gear 17 , the eccentric gear 19 , the cam plate 20 , and the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control member 26 . Accordingly, with a simple configuration employing a single vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control member 26 , the cancellation of the function of the vehicle sensor 13 and the cancellation of the function of the webbing sensor 12 can each be controlled easily.
- the spool 9 when, at least, the spool 9 has retracted the total amount of the seat belt 4 , the function of the vehicle sensor 13 and the function of the webbing sensor 12 are each canceled. Furthermore, by cancelling the function of the vehicle sensor 13 as above, the vehicle sensor 13 is made inoperable. With the above, it is possible to prevent abnormal sound from occurring from the vehicle sensor 13 of the seat belt retractor 3 that is not used (in other words, the seat belt retractor 3 of the seat belt apparatus 1 attached to the vehicle seat 2 with no occupant) while the vehicle is travelling. Furthermore, by cancellation of the function of the webbing sensor 12 described above, the webbing sensor 12 is made practically inoperable. With the above, when, at least, the spool 9 has stopped after the total amount of the seat belt 4 has been retracted in the spool 9 , end lock that occurs when the webbing sensor 12 is unintentionally operated can be prevented.
- the first and second levers 22 and 23 do not pivot in the direction in which the actuator holding portion 23 b becomes separated from the actuator 13 b . Accordingly, malfunction of the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control member 26 caused by the load can be prevented and the state in which the function of the vehicle sensor 13 is canceled can be maintained.
- the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function mechanism can be formed without the need of any large design change and increase in the number of parts can be suppressed.
- the seat belt retractor 3 can be formed in a compact manner.
- the function of the vehicle sensor 13 and the function of the webbing sensor 12 can be exerted and the above functions can be cancelled at a predetermined condition with a simple structure and with a fewer number of parts.
- the seat belt apparatus 1 of the example since it is possible to prevent occurrence of an abnormal sound and occurrence of an end lock in the seat belt retractor 3 in a further effective manner, the manipulability of the seat belt 4 is improved, the fastening operation of the seat belt 4 performed by the occupant can be performed in a smooth and stable manner, and the comfort while the vehicle is travelling can be improved.
- the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control member 26 is constituted by the two first and second levers 22 and 23 that are connected to each other in a relatively pivotal manner; however, the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control member 26 may be constituted by a single first lever 22 .
- the lock claw 22 c of the second lever 23 is integrally provided in the first lever 22 as a corresponding lock claw.
- the first lever biasing spring 24 becomes contracted such that impact is absorbed and relieved.
- the cam follower 22 b needs to follow the first and second cam portions 20 a and 20 b
- the biasing force of the first lever biasing spring 24 needs to be set larger than the biasing force of the second lever biasing spring 25 . Accordingly, in order for the impact described above to be absorbed and relieved in a further effective manner, as in the above-described example, it is desirable that the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control member 26 is constituted by the two first and second levers 22 and 23 .
- the seat belt retractor and the seat belt apparatus of the present invention may be preferably used in a seat belt retractor that at least includes a vehicle sensor that stops withdrawal of the seat belt in an emergency and a wedding sensor that stops the withdrawal of the seat belt when the seat belt is rapidly withdrawn and may be preferably used in a seat belt apparatus employing the seat belt retractor.
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Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to a technical field of a seat belt retractor that is equipped in a vehicle, such as an automobile, and that retracts webbing serving as a seat belt with a spool and relates to a seat belt apparatus that restricts an occupant with the seat belt that has been withdrawn from the seat belt retractor.
- Hitherto, a seat belt apparatus installed on a seat of a vehicle, such as an automobile, restricts the occupant with a seat belt constituted by webbing in times of emergency (hereinafter, merely referred to as in an emergency), such as vehicular collision in which deceleration that is substantially larger than deceleration occurring during normal traveling acts on the vehicle. Generally, such a seat belt apparatus is provided with a seat belt retractor. Many of the conventional seat belt retractors include a vehicle sensor that stops withdrawal of the seat belt by being operated upon a large deceleration in an emergency, and a webbing sensor that stops withdrawal of the seat belt by being operated when the seat belt is rapidly drawn out at a rate that is higher than the normal seat belt withdrawal rate in order to fasten the seat belt, for example (in other words, with an acceleration of withdrawal that is larger than a normal acceleration of withdrawal when fastening the seat belt).
- Incidentally, for example, there are cases in which the vehicle sensor is operated by vibration or the like while the vehicle is travelling even in a seat belt apparatus or the like that is installed on a vehicle seat on which no occupant is sitting and in which the seat belt is not fastened thereto. However, there are cases in which cancellation (incapacitation) of the intrinsic function of the vehicle sensor, which is the vehicle sensor not operating except for when the seat belt is fastened around the occupant and stopping the withdrawal of the seat belt by being operated in an emergency, is desired. Accordingly, a seat belt retractor that exerts the intrinsic function of the vehicle sensor described above when in a state in which the seat belt is fastened around the occupant and, further, that cancels (incapacitates) the intrinsic function of the vehicle sensor at a predetermined condition, other than when the seat belt is fastened around the occupant, that has been set in advance has been proposed (see
PTL 1, for example). - The seat belt retractor described in
PTL 1 includes a ring gear that integrally rotates with a spool, and a control lever. In a state in which the seat belt is withdrawn by a predetermined amount from the seat belt retractor, the ring gear does not allow the control lever to operate; accordingly, the control lever permits the vehicle sensor to operate and enables the intrinsic function of the vehicle sensor to be exerted. Furthermore, the ring gear that rotates in accordance with the rotation of the spool in the seat belt retraction direction operates the control lever; accordingly; in a state in which the spool, at least, retracts the total amount of the seat belt, the control lever stops the operation of the vehicle sensor such that the intrinsic function of the vehicle sensor is cancelled. - Meanwhile, there are cases in which the webbing sensor is operated even in a case other than the rapid seat belt withdrawal and stops the withdrawal of the seat belt from the seat belt retractor. For example, when the total amount of the seat belt that has been withdrawn is retracted, there are cases in which a so-called end lock occurs, which makes normal withdrawal of the seat belt difficult, by unintended operation of the webbing sensor.
- Accordingly, in order to prevent such an end lock caused by the belt withdrawal sensor, a seat belt retractor has been proposed (see
PTL 2, for example) that cancels (incapacitates) the intrinsic function of the webbing sensor that is operated and stops the withdrawal of the seat belt when the total amount of the seat belt is retracted. - The seat belt retractor described in
PTL 2 includes an inertia plate that swings upon rapid seat belt withdrawal, a webbing sensor gear that is rotatably provided and that includes internal teeth and external teeth, a webbing sensor pawl that is operated upon swinging of the inertia plate and that engages with an internal tooth of the webbing sensor gear, and a gear rotation control pawl that stops the rotation of the webbing sensor gear by engaging with an external tooth of the webbing sensor gear. - In the seat belt retractor described in
PTL 2, in a state in which the seat belt is withdrawn by a predetermined amount from the seat belt retractor, the gear rotation control pawl engages with an external tooth of the webbing sensor gear and makes the webbing sensor gear non-rotatable. With the above, when the webbing sensor pawl is operated upon swinging of the inertia plate and is engaged with an internal tooth of the webbing sensor gear, the webbing sensor gear does not rotate; accordingly, the intrinsic function of the webbing sensor is exerted and the withdrawal of the seat belt is stopped. Furthermore, when in a state in which the spool has retracted substantially the total amount of the seat belt, the gear rotation control pawl is separated from the external teeth of the webbing sensor gear and allows the webbing sensor gear to rotate. With the above, even if the webbing sensor pawl is operated upon swinging of the inertia plate and is engaged with an internal tooth of the webbing sensor gear, since the webbing sensor gear rotates and the spool becomes rotatable in the seat belt withdrawal direction, the intrinsic function of the webbing sensor is cancelled. Accordingly, withdrawal of the seat belt can be performed and end lock is prevented. Note that in the seat belt retractor described inPTL 2, a vehicle sensor is provided as well. - PTL 1: Description of U.S. Pat. No. 7,090,304 B2
- PTL 2: Japanese Patent Application No. 3947064
- Incidentally, the seat belt retractor described in
PTL 1 is not provided with a webbing sensor; accordingly, the function of the webbing sensor cannot be exerted and, further, the function of the webbing sensor cannot be cancelled at a predetermined condition. Meanwhile, although the seat belt retractor described inPTL 2 is provided with, in addition to the webbing sensor, the vehicle sensor as well, the function of the vehicle sensor cannot be cancelled at a predetermined condition. Accordingly, consideration of combining the cancellation function of the vehicle sensor described inPTL 1 and the cancellation function of the webbing sensor described inPTL 2 together, and regarding the cancellation the function of the vehicle sensor and the cancellation of the function of the webbing sensor, cancelling both the functions at a predetermined condition can be made. However, a mere combination of the cancellation function of the vehicle sensor described inPTL 1 and the cancellation function of the webbing sensor described inPTL 2 will make the structure of each of the sensors and the structure of the cancelling function of each of the sensors complicated and the number of parts will become large. - The present invention has been made in view of the above situation and an object thereof is to, with a simple structure and with a fewer number of parts, provide a seat belt retractor that is capable cancelling both a function of a vehicle sensor and a function of a webbing sensor at a predetermined condition and to provide a seat belt apparatus that employs the seat belt retractor.
- In order to overcome the above-described problems, a seat belt retractor according to the present invention is a seat belt retractor including at least a spool that retracts a seat belt that restricts an occupant, the seat belt retractor including a vehicle sensor that operates in an emergency in which a deceleration that is larger than a deceleration applied to a vehicle at normal times is applied, the vehicle sensor having a function of stopping rotation of the spool in a seat belt withdrawal direction; a webbing sensor that operates when the seat belt is rapidly withdrawn at a rate that is larger than a withdrawal rate at normal times, the webbing sensor having a function of stopping the rotation of the spool in the seat belt withdrawal direction; a vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control mechanism that controls cancellation of the function of the vehicle sensor and cancellation of the function of the webbing sensor; and a cancellation-cancelling prevention unit that, when a large load with respect to a load applied at normal times is applied to the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control mechanism from the vehicle sensor while in a state in which the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control mechanism has canceled the function of the vehicle sensor, prevents the cancellation of the function of the vehicle sensor from being canceled due to the large load performed by the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control mechanism.
- Furthermore, in a seat belt retractor according to the present invention, while in the state in which the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control mechanism has canceled the function of the webbing sensor, when the large load is applied to the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control mechanism from the vehicle sensor, the cancellation-cancelling prevention unit prevents the cancellation of the function of the webbing sensor from being canceled due to the large load performed by the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control mechanism.
- Furthermore, in a seat belt retractor according to the present invention, when, at least, the spool has retracted the total amount of the seat belt, the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control mechanism controls the vehicle sensor and the webbing sensor such that the function of the vehicle sensor and the function of the webbing sensor are canceled.
- Furthermore, in a seat belt retractor according to the present invention, the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control mechanism includes a vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control member that controls the cancellation of the function of the vehicle sensor and the cancellation of the function of the webbing sensor, and a control cam member that controls an operation of the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control member by rotating together with the rotation of the spool.
- Furthermore, in a seat belt retractor according to the present invention, the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control member is a control lever that is operated and controlled by the control cam member.
- Furthermore, in a seat belt retractor according to the present invention, the control lever includes a first lever that cancels the function of the vehicle sensor, and a second lever that is connected to the first lever so as to be capable of being relatively displaced and that cancels the function of the webbing sensor.
- Furthermore, in a seat belt retractor according to the present invention, the cancellation-cancelling prevention unit is constituted by the control cam member.
- Furthermore, a seat belt apparatus according to the present invention includes a seat belt that restricts an occupant; a seat belt retractor that retracts the seat belt while allowing the seat belt to be withdrawn, the seat belt retractor operating in an emergency so as to stop withdrawal of the seat belt; a tongue that is slidably supported by the seat belt that has been withdrawn from the seat belt retractor; and a buckle that is provided on the vehicle body or on the vehicle seat, the tongue being locked to the buckle so as to be capable of being engaged and disengaged, in which the seat belt retractor according to any one of the above-described seat belt retractors according to the present invention is used as the seat belt retractor.
- According to the seat belt retractor according to the present invention configured as above, both the function of the vehicle sensor and the function of the webbing sensor can be exerted. Furthermore, the cancellation of the function of the vehicle sensor and the cancellation of the webbing sensor can both be controlled with the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control mechanism. Accordingly, with a simple configuration employing a single vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control mechanism, the cancellation of the function of the vehicle sensor and the cancellation of the function of the webbing sensor can each be controlled easily.
- In particular, when, at least, the spool has retracted the total amount of the seat belt, the function of the vehicle sensor and the function of the webbing sensor are each canceled. Furthermore, by cancelling the function of the vehicle sensor as above, the vehicle sensor can be made inoperable. With the above, it is possible to prevent abnormal sound from occurring from the vehicle sensor of the seat belt retractor that is not used while the vehicle is travelling. Furthermore, by cancellation of the function of the webbing sensor as described above, the webbing sensor can be made inoperable. With the above, when, at least, the spool has stopped after the total amount of the seat belt has been retracted, end lock that occurs by unintentional operation of the webbing sensor can be prevented.
- Furthermore, in a state in which the function of the vehicle sensor is canceled, even when an unintentional large load is applied to the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control mechanism from the vehicle sensor due to some kind of cause, cancellation of the function of the vehicle sensor with the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control mechanism can be prevented from being canceled with the cancellation-cancelling prevention unit. Accordingly, malfunction of the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control mechanism caused by the large load can be prevented and the state in which the function of the vehicle sensor is canceled can be maintained.
- Furthermore, in a state in which the function of the webbing sensor is canceled, even when the above-described large load is applied to the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control mechanism from the vehicle sensor due to some kind of cause, cancellation of the function of the webbing sensor with the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control mechanism can be prevented from being canceled as well with the cancellation-cancelling prevention unit. Accordingly, malfunction of the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control mechanism caused by the large load can be prevented and the state in which the function of the webbing sensor is canceled can be maintained.
- Furthermore, since components that are used in conventional seat belt retractors can be used in the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control mechanism, the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function mechanism can be formed without the need of any large design change and increase in the number of parts can be suppressed. As a result, while enabling control of cancelling the function of the vehicle sensor and cancelling of the function of the webbing sensor, the seat belt retractor can be formed in a compact manner.
- As described above, according to the seat belt retractor of the present invention, it would be possible to exert the function of the vehicle sensor and the function of the webbing sensor and to cancel the above functions at a predetermined condition with a simple structure and with a fewer number of parts.
- Meanwhile, according to the seat belt apparatus of the present invention, since it is possible to prevent occurrence of an abnormal sound and occurrence of an end lock in the seat belt retractor in a further effective manner, the manipulability of the seat belt is improved, the fastening operation of the seat belt performed by the occupant can be performed in a smooth and stable manner, and the comfort while the vehicle is travelling can be improved.
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FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a seat belt apparatus provided with an example of an embodiment of a seat belt retractor according to the present invention. -
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the seat belt retractor of the example. -
FIG. 3 is a longitudinal section of the seat belt retractor of the example. -
FIG. 4 illustrates the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control member of the seat belt retractor in whichFIG. 4(A) is a perspective view of a first lever,FIG. 4(B) is a perspective view of a second lever,FIG. 4(C) is a perspective view of the assembly,FIG. 4(D) is a front view,FIG. 4(E) is a bottom view, andFIG. 4(F) is a right side view. -
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state of a cam plate and the first and second levers when the seat belt of the example is fully retracted. -
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state of a ring gear and the first and second levers when the seat belt of the example is fully retracted. -
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a state of the cam plate and the first and second levers when the seat belt of the example is withdrawn by a predetermined amount. -
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a state of the ring gear and the first and second levers when the seat belt of the example is withdrawn by a predetermined amount. -
FIG. 9(A) is a diagram for describing the abutting state between a lock claw of the first lever and a tooth tip of a ratchet tooth of the ring gear andFIG. 9(B) is a diagram for describing an engaged state after the abutment between the lock claw of the first lever and the tooth tip of the ratchet tooth of the ring gear has been canceled. - Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with the drawings.
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FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a seat belt apparatus provided with an example of an embodiment of a seat belt retractor according to the present invention. - As illustrated in
FIG. 1 , aseat belt apparatus 1 of the example is basically the same as conventionally known three-point seat belt apparatuses. In the drawing, 1 is the seat belt apparatus, 2 is a vehicle seat, 3 is a seat belt retractor disposed in the vicinity of thevehicle seat 2, 4 is a seat belt that is retracted in theseat belt retractor 3 while being allowed to be withdrawn and in which a belt anchor 4 a at the distal end thereof is fixed to a floor of the vehicle body or to thevehicle seat 2, 5 is a guide anchor that guides the seat belt 4, which has been withdrawn from theseat belt retractor 3, towards a shoulder of an occupant, 6 is a tongue that is slidably supported by the seat belt 4 that has been guided from the guide anchor 5, and 7 is a buckle that is fixed to the floor of the vehicle or to the vehicle seat and in which thetongue 6 is inserted and engaged so as to be capable of being engaged and disengaged. The fastening operation and the unfastening operation of the seat belt 4 in theseat belt apparatus 1 are also the same as conventionally known seat belt apparatuses. -
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the seat belt retractor of the example andFIG. 3 is a longitudinal section of the seat belt retractor of the example. - As illustrated in
FIGS. 2 and 3 , the seat belt retractor 3 according to the example includes, similar to conventionally known typical seat belt retractors, a U-shaped frame 8 including a back plate 8 a and left and right side walls 8 b and 8 c each having a circular opening; a spool 9 that is disposed concentrically or in a substantially concentric manner with respect to the openings of the sidewalls 8 b and 8 c on both sides of the frame 8 and that is disposed in a rotatable manner so as to retract the seat belt 4; a spring mechanism 10 that constantly biases the spool 9 in a seat belt retraction direction; a lock gear 11 that is fitted to and supported by a rotating shaft 9 a of the spool 9 in a concentric manner and that includes a predetermined number of ratchet teeth 11 a in the outer periphery thereof, the lock gear 11 integrally rotating with the rotating shaft 9 a when the rotation is not stopped and the rotating shaft 9 a being relatively rotated when the rotation is stopped; a webbing sensor 12 that includes a flywheel 12 a, which is an inertia member supported in the lock gear 11 so as to be capable of being swung, and a lock claw 12 b provided in the flywheel 12 a; a vehicle sensor 13 (deceleration detection mechanism) that includes an inertia ball 13 a that is not operated at normal times and that is operated in an emergency, an actuator 13 b that is operated by the operation of the inertia ball 13 a, and a lock claw 13 c that is operated by the operation of the actuator 13 b and that engages with a ratchet tooth 11 a of the lock gear 11 so as to stop the rotation of the lock gear 11 in a seat belt withdrawal direction; and a pawl 14 that is pivotally provided in the spool 9 and that stops the spool 9 from rotating in the seat belt withdrawal direction by pivoting so as to engage with an internal tooth 8 d of the side wall 8 c when the spool 9 relatively rotates in the seat belt withdrawal direction with respect to the lock gear 11. In the above case, a lock mechanism is configured that locks the rotation of thespool 9 in the seat belt withdrawal direction with the internal teeth 8 d of theside wall 8 c and thepawl 14, and a lock operating and controlling mechanism that operates and controls the lock mechanism is configured with thelock gear 11. The configuration and operation of the aboveseat belt retractor 3 are the same as those of the seat belt retractor described in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-61810 and can be easily understood by referring to the above publication before examination; accordingly, detailed description thereof is omitted. - Furthermore, the
seat belt retractor 3 of the example includes aretainer 15, abearing cap 16, aring gear 17, aneccentric disc 18, aneccentric gear 19, acam plate 20, acover 21, afirst lever 22, asecond lever 23, a firstlever biasing spring 24, and a secondlever biasing spring 25. - The
retainer 15 is attached to theright side wall 8 c of theframe 8 in an attachable and detachable manner. Theretainer 15 includes acylindrical support projection 15 a and a predetermined number of annularinternal teeth 15 b. The bearingcap 16 is rotatably fitted in an integral member to an end portion of therotating shaft 9 a of thespool 9 and is rotatably supported by theretainer 15. In other words, therotating shaft 9 a of thespool 9 is rotatably supported by theretainer 15. Thering gear 17 is rotatably supported by thesupport projection 15 a of theretainer 15. Thering gear 17 includes annularinternal teeth 17 a as well asannular ratchet teeth 17 b that are external teeth on the outer peripheral surface thereof. Thelock claw 12 b of theflywheel 12 can be engaged to the annularinternal teeth 17 a. Furthermore, engagement of thelock claw 12 b to aninternal tooth 17 a of thering gear 17, the rotation of which has been stopped, stops the rotation of thelock gear 11. - The
eccentric disc 18 is fitted into an end portion of thebearing cap 16 in an integral and rotatable manner and is rotatably supported by asupport projection 21 a of thecover 21 that is attached to theretainer 15 in an attachable and detachable manner. Accordingly, theeccentric disc 18 is rotatable in an integral manner with thespool 9. Theeccentric gear 19 is formed in a disc shape and is fitted and supported to the outer peripheral surface 18 a of theeccentric disc 18 in a relatively rotatable manner. In the above case, when the eccentric disc 18 (in other words, the spool 9) rotates, the center of theeccentric gear 19 rotates (eccentrically rotates) while being displaced in the radial direction from the rotation center of thespool 9. Theeccentric gear 19 includesexternal teeth 19 a that are provided in an annular manner on the outer peripheral surface thereof. In the above case, some of theexternal teeth 19 a of theeccentric gear 19 mesh with some of theinternal teeth 15 b of theretainer 15 and the remainingexternal teeth 19 a of theeccentric gear 19 are set apart from the remaininginternal teeth 15 b of theretainer 15. Furthermore, when theeccentric gear 19 eccentrically rotates upon rotation of thespool 9, the meshing position between theexternal teeth 19 a of theeccentric gear 19 and theinternal teeth 15 b of theretainer 15 that are meshed to each other sequentially changes; accordingly, theeccentric gear 19 rotates in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of thespool 9 while being decelerated. Furthermore, theeccentric gear 19 includes anintegral rotation pin 19 b that is provided so as to stand in a direction orthogonal or substantially orthogonal to a flat surface of the eccentric gear 19 (in other words, a direction orthogonal or substantially orthogonal to the axial direction of the spool 9). - The
cam plate 20 constitutes a control cam member of the present invention and is fitted to and supported by an inner peripheral surface of acylindrical support projection 21 b of thecover 21 in a rotatable manner. Thecam plate 20 includes an outer peripheral surface formed with a cam profile. The cam profile includes, on the outer peripheral surface, afirst cam portion 20 a that is an arc with a large diameter and asecond cam portion 20 b that is an arc with a small diameter. The first andsecond cam portions cam plate 20 includes a rectangularintegral rotation hole 20 c that extends in the radial direction. Theintegral rotation hole 20 c is provided in an area corresponding to thesecond cam portion 20 b in the circumferential direction. Furthermore, theintegral rotation pin 19 b of theeccentric gear 19 is engaged in theintegral rotation hole 20 c so as to be slidable along the longitudinal direction of theintegral rotation hole 20 c (in other words, the radial direction of the cam plate 20) and is engaged in theintegral rotation hole 20 c in the circumferential direction so as to be fitted such that relative displacement is disabled. Accordingly, upon rotation of theeccentric gear 19, theeccentric gear 19 and thecam plate 20 are integrally rotated and theeccentric gear 19 is eccentrically displaced in the radial direction in a relative manner with respect to thecam plate 20. - As illustrated in
FIGS. 2 , 3, and 4(A), thefirst lever 22 includes a cylindricalrotary shaft 22 a, and therotary shaft 22 a is pivotally supported by a support shaft 21 c by being fitted in the support shaft 21 c that is provided so as to be erected on thecover 21. Thefirst lever 22 includes acam follower 22 b and alock claw 22 c (details illustrated inFIG. 9 ) that is provided on the other end portion and on the backside inFIG. 4(A) . - The
cam follower 22 b controls the pivoting of thefirst lever 22 by abutting against the first andsecond cam portions second cam portions first lever 22, the rotation ofsecond lever 23 is indirectly controlled.) When thecam follower 22 b is abutted against thefirst cam portion 20 a, thelock claw 22 c is set apart from theratchet teeth 17 b of thering gear 17 and is not engaged with aratchet tooth 17 b. With the above, thering gear 17 becomes freely rotatable. Furthermore, when thecam follower 22 b is abutted against thesecond cam portion 20 b, thelock claw 22 c is engaged with aratchet tooth 17 b of thering gear 17 in a direction that stops the rotation of thering gear 17 in the seat belt withdrawal direction. With the above, thering gear 17 becomes non-rotatable in the seat belt withdrawal direction. - As illustrated in
FIGS. 2 and 4(B) , thesecond lever 23 includes arotary shaft hole 23 a provided on one end portion and anactuator holding portion 23 b disposed on the other end portion (an end portion on the opposite side of therotary shaft 23 a). Furthermore, as illustrated inFIG. 4(C) therotary shaft hole 23 a of thesecond lever 23 is externally fitted to therotary shaft 22 a of thefirst lever 22 in a pivotal manner. In the above case, thefirst lever 22 is capable of relatively pivoting at a set relative angle that has been set in advance with respect to thesecond lever 23 between a cancellation position illustrated by a solid line and a cancellation cancelling position illustrated by a two-dot chain line inFIG. 4(D) . In the cancellation position of thefirst lever 22, thefirst lever 22 becomes relatively non-pivotal with respect to thesecond lever 23 in a direction (the anticlockwise direction inFIG. 4(D) ) in which thecam follower 22 b is separated from the first andsecond cam portions first lever 22, thefirst lever 22 becomes relatively non-pivotal with respect to thesecond lever 23 in a direction (the clockwise direction inFIG. 4(D) ) in which thecam follower 22 b approaches the first andsecond cam portions - The first
lever biasing spring 24 is disposed between thefirst lever 22 and thecover 21 and constantly biases thefirst lever 22 in a direction in which thecam follower 22 b of thefirst lever 22 abuts against the first andsecond cam portions cam plate 20. Furthermore, the secondlever biasing spring 25 is disposed between thefirst lever 22 and thesecond lever 23 and constantly and relatively biases thefirst lever 22 towards the cancellation cancelling position illustrated by the two-dot chain line inFIG. 4(D) with respect to thesecond lever 23. In the above, the biasing force of the secondlever biasing spring 25 is set smaller than the biasing force of the firstlever biasing spring 24. Moreover, a vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor functioncancellation control member 26 that is a control lever of the present invention is constituted by the first andsecond levers - An operation of the
seat belt retractor 3 of the example configured as above will be described next.FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an inoperable state of the vehicle sensor set by the second lever when the seat belt is fully retracted andFIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an inoperable state of the webbing sensor set by the first lever when the seat belt is fully retracted. - As illustrated in
FIG. 5 , in a state in which the seat belt 4 is unfastened and the total amount of the seat belt 4 is retracted in the spool 9 (specifically, a state in which thespool 9 receiving no impediment has retracted the amount of seat belt 4 that can be retracted with the biasing force of the spring mechanism 10), the large diameterfirst cam portion 20 a of thecam plate 20 is oriented downwards and, with the biasing force of the firstlever biasing spring 24, thecam follower 22 b is abutted against thefirst cam portion 20 a. In the above case, thefirst lever 22 countering the biasing force of the secondlever biasing spring 25 is relatively pivoted with respect to thesecond lever 23 and is in the cancellation position. - Accordingly, the
actuator holding portion 23 b of thesecond lever 23 abuts against theactuator 13 b of thevehicle sensor 13 and urges theactuator 13 b to a non-operable position; accordingly, thevehicle sensor 13 is set to an inoperable state. As a result, when the vehicle is traveling, theinertia ball 13 a of theseat belt retractor 3 of theseat belt apparatus 1, which is not used having no occupant, does not slide and no abnormal noise is generated. Furthermore, thelock claw 13 c of thevehicle sensor 13 is maintained at a non-operable position in which thelock claw 13 c of thevehicle sensor 13 does not engage with aratchet tooth 11 a of thelock gear 11. Accordingly, the function of thevehicle sensor 13 is canceled. - Furthermore, in a state in which the
cam follower 22 b abuts against thefirst cam portion 20 a, thelock claw 22 c of thefirst lever 22 is separated from theratchet teeth 17 b of thering gear 17; accordingly, thering gear 17 is rotatable in either of the directions, namely, the seat belt withdrawal direction and the seat belt retraction direction. Accordingly, thewebbing sensor 12 is in an inoperable state and the function of thewebbing sensor 12 is in a canceled state. Note that inFIG. 6 , although a state in which thelock claw 12 b of thewebbing sensor 12 is engaged with aninternal tooth 17 a of thering gear 17 is illustrated, thelock claw 12 b may be separated from theinternal teeth 17 a. - Furthermore, in the above case, the
eccentric gear 19 is displaced in a substantially obliquely upper right direction inFIG. 5 with respect to thecam plate 20 and is eccentric with respect to the center of the cam plate 20 (in other words, the center of the spool 9). Accordingly, some of theexternal teeth 19 a of theeccentric gear 19 positioned in the obliquely upper right direction mesh with theinternal teeth 15 b of theretainer 15 and, further, a predetermined number ofexternal teeth 19 a of theeccentric gear 19 including theexternal teeth 19 a positioned in the obliquely lower left direction that is not illustrated inFIG. 5 are not meshed with theinternal teeth 15 b of theretainer 15. - While the
seat belt retractor 3 is in the state illustrated inFIGS. 5 and 6 , for example, when the occupant withdraws the seat belt 4 at a normal withdrawal rate to fasten the seat belt 4, thespool 9 countering the biasing force of thespring mechanism 10 rotates clockwise inFIG. 6 . (Note that although thespool 9 is not illustrated inFIG. 6 , the rotation of theabove spool 9 upon clockwise rotation of therotating shaft 9 a of thespool 9 can be understood normally inFIG. 6 .) Then, since theeccentric disc 18 integrally rotates together with thespool 9 in the same direction, theeccentric gear 19, in an eccentric state, is decelerated and is rotated clockwise that is the direction opposite to the rotation direction of thespool 9 due to meshing between theexternal teeth 19 a and theinternal teeth 15 b. Since theintegral rotation pin 19 b of theeccentric gear 19 and theintegral rotation hole 20 c of thecam plate 20 are engaged with each other in the circumferential direction, thecam plate 20 rotates in a direction that is the same as the rotation direction of theeccentric gear 19. - When the
cam plate 20 rotates by a relatively small predetermined amount, thecam follower 22 b escapes from thefirst cam portion 20 a. Then, thefirst lever 22 pivots anticlockwise inFIG. 5 with the biasing force of the firstlever biasing spring 24 and thecam follower 22 b abuts against the small diametersecond cam portion 20 b as illustrated inFIG. 7 . In the above case, in the course of pivoting, thefirst lever 22 relatively pivots with respect to thesecond lever 23 with the biasing force of the secondlever biasing spring 25. Then, when thefirst lever 22 is at the cancellation cancelling position with respect to thesecond lever 23, thefirst lever 22 becomes relatively non-pivotal with respect to thesecond lever 23 and thesecond lever 23 also pivots integrally with thefirst lever 22 in the same direction. - With the pivoting of the
second lever 23, theactuator holding portion 23 b is separated from theactuator 13 b of thevehicle sensor 13. With the above, theactuator 13 b of thevehicle sensor 13 becomes operable and the cancellation of the function of thevehicle sensor 13 becomes canceled (is turned off) such that a state in which the function of thevehicle sensor 13 can be exerted is reached. - Accordingly, in the above state, when the vehicle is traveling while the seat belt 4 is fastened around the occupant, similar to conventionally known vehicle sensors, in the
vehicle sensor 13, in an emergency, theinertia ball 13 a is displaced by inertia and thelock claw 13 c engages with aratchet tooth 11 a of thelock gear 11. Then, the seat belt 4 is stopped from being withdrawn and the seat belt 4 becomes capable of restricting the occupant. Furthermore, in theseat belt apparatus 1 provided in thevehicle seat 2 with no occupant, since the seat belt 4 is not withdrawn, theseat belt retractor 3 is in a non-operating state illustrated inFIGS. 5 and 6 . Accordingly, the function of thevehicle sensor 13 is in a canceled state and both theinertia ball 13 a and theactuator 13 b are non-swingable. With the above, abnormal sound generated by sliding of theinertia ball 13 a and theactuator 13 b while the vehicle is traveling is prevented. - Furthermore, upon pivoting of the
first lever 22, as illustrated inFIG. 8 , thelock claw 22 c engages with theexternal tooth 17 b of the ring gear 17 (illustrated in an enlarged manner inFIG. 9(B) ). With the above, the rotation of thering gear 17 in the seat belt withdrawal direction is stopped and the cancellation of the function of thewebbing sensor 12 is canceled (is turned off) such that a state in which the function of thewebbing sensor 12 can be exerted is reached. Accordingly, in the above state, similar to conventionally knownwebbing sensors 12, in thewebbing sensor 12, when the seat belt 4 is withdrawn in a seat belt withdrawal rate that is higher and more rapid than the normal seat belt withdrawal rate, theflywheel 12 is swung and thelock claw 12 b is engaged with aninternal tooth 17 b of thering gear 17. Then, upon withdrawal of the seat belt 4, thering gear 17 is biased so as to rotate in the seat belt withdrawal direction; however, since the rotation of thering gear 17 in the seat belt withdrawal direction is stopped, rapid withdrawal of the seat belt 4 is stopped. - Incidentally, when the
lock claw 22 c approaches theexternal teeth 17 b of thering gear 17 upon pivoting of thefirst lever 22, as illustrated inFIG. 9(A) , a case in which thelock claw 22 c abuts against a tooth tip of anexternal tooth 17 b of thering gear 17 and impact is applied to thelock claw 22 c can be conceived. In the above case, when thelock claw 22 c abuts against the tooth tip of theexternal tooth 17 b , thefirst lever 22 relatively pivots with respect to thesecond lever 23 in the anticlockwise direction inFIG. 9(A) while contracting the secondlever biasing spring 25. With the above, the impact when thelock claw 22 c abuts against the tooth tip of theexternal tooth 17 b is absorbed and relieved. Then, when the abutment between thelock claw 22 c and the tooth tip of theexternal tooth 17 b is canceled upon pivoting of thering gear 17, as illustrated inFIG. 9(B) , thefirst lever 22 relatively pivots with respect to thesecond lever 23 in the clockwise direction inFIG. 9(B) with the biasing force of the secondlever biasing spring 25. With the above, thelock claw 22 c engages with theexternal tooth 17 b in a normal state and rotation of thering gear 17 in the seat belt withdrawal direction is stopped. - In order to cancel the fastened seat belt 4, for example, when the seat belt 4 is released from a state illustrated in
FIGS. 7 and 8 in which the seat belt 4 is withdrawn by a predetermined amount, thespool 9 rotates in an anticlockwise direction (the seat belt retraction direction) inFIG. 8 with the biasing force of thespring mechanism 10. (Note that although thespool 9 is not illustrated inFIG. 8 , inFIG. 8 , the rotation of theabove spool 9 upon anticlockwise rotation of therotating shaft 9 a of thespool 9 can be understood normally.) With the above, the seat belt 4 is retracted in thespool 9. With the rotation of thespool 9, similar to the above, thecam plate 20 rotates in the anticlockwise direction inFIG. 7 , which is a direction opposite to the rotation direction of thespool 9, while being decelerated. In the above case, thecam follower 22 b of thefirst lever 22 abuts against thesecond cam portion 22 b of thecam plate 20, and the first andsecond levers FIGS. 7 and 8 . - Immediately before the total amount of the seat belt 4 is retracted, a step portion at the boundary between the
first cam portion 22 a and thesecond cam portion 22 b abuts against thecam follower 22 b of thefirst lever 22. When thespool 9 further rotates in the seat belt retraction direction, the step portion abuts against thecam follower 22 b . With the above, with further rotation of thespool 9 in the seat belt retraction direction, the first andsecond levers lever biasing spring 24 and pivot in the clockwise direction inFIG. 7 . Furthermore, as illustrated inFIGS. 5 and 6 , theactuator holding portion 23 b of thesecond lever 23 abuts against theactuator 13 b of thevehicle sensor 13 and urges theactuator 13 b to a non-operable position and the pivoting of thesecond lever 23 stops. However, when thefirst lever 22 further relatively pivots with respect to thesecond lever 23 while contracting the secondlever biasing spring 25 and when thefirst lever 22 reaches the cancellation position, the pivoting of thefirst lever 22 stops and thecam follower 22 b abuts against thefirst cam portion 22 a. With the above, the function of thevehicle sensor 13 is canceled. - Furthermore, with the pivoting of the
first lever 22, thelock claw 22 c of thefirst lever 22 is separated from theratchet teeth 17 b of thering gear 17; accordingly, thering gear 17 becomes capable of pivoting in either of the directions, namely, the seat belt withdrawal direction and the seat belt retraction direction. Accordingly, the function of thewebbing sensor 12 is canceled. - When the total amount of the seat belt 4 is retracted in the
spool 9, the rotation of thespool 9 stops and retraction of the seat belt 4 by thespool 9 is ended and theseat belt retractor 3 is set to a non-operating state illustrated inFIGS. 5 and 6 . In the above case, the function of thewebbing sensor 12 and the function of thevehicle sensor 13 are both canceled; accordingly, end lock caused by thewebbing sensor 12 and thevehicle sensor 13 that occurs when the seat belt 4 is fully retracted can be prevented. - As described above, in the
seat belt retractor 3 of the example, a single vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor functioncancellation control member 26 is constituted by the first andsecond levers vehicle sensor 13 and the function of thewebbing sensor 12 is constituted by theretainer 15, thering gear 17, theeccentric gear 19, thecam plate 20, and the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor functioncancellation control member 26. - Incidentally, in the
seat belt retractor 3 of the example, in a case in which an unintended large load is applied to theactuator holding portion 23 b from theactuator 13 b of thevehicle sensor 13 due to some kind of cause while the function of thewebbing sensor 12 and that of thevehicle sensor 13 are both canceled as above, cancellation of the function of thevehicle sensor 13 being canceled due to malfunction of the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor functioncancellation control member 26 caused due to the load is prevented and, further, cancellation of the function of thewebbing sensor 12 is prevented from being canceled as well. - The above prevention of cancellation of the cancellation will be described specifically. As described above, a rotating
shaft 22 a of thefirst lever 22 and therotating shaft 23 a of thesecond lever 23 are fitted so as to be coaxial to each other and thecam follower 22 b of thefirst lever 22 and theactuator holding portion 23 b of thesecond lever 23 are disposed on the same side with respect to the two coaxialrotating shafts cam follower 22 b of thefirst lever 22 escaping from the small diametersecond cam portion 20 b and abutting against the large diameterfirst cam portion 20 a pivot the first andsecond levers cam follower 22 b of thefirst lever 22 and theactuator holding portion 23 b of thesecond lever 23 pivot in the same direction. Furthermore, when theactuator holding portion 23 b abuts against theactuator 13 b and urges theactuator 13 b , pivoting of thesecond lever 23 stops. With the above, the function of thevehicle sensor 13 is set to a canceled state as described above. Even when the pivoting of thesecond lever 23 stops, thefirst lever 22 relatively pivots with respect to thesecond lever 23 while contracting thesecond spring 25, and when at the cancellation position, pivoting of thefirst lever 22 stops. With the above, the function of thewebbing sensor 12 is set to a canceled state as described above. - Furthermore, in a state in which the function of the
webbing sensor 12 and that of thevehicle sensor 13 are canceled, when an unintended large load is applied to theactuator holding portion 23 b from theactuator 13 b of thevehicle sensor 13, since thecam follower 22 b is abutted against thefirst cam portion 20 a and since thefirst lever 22 is relatively non-pivotal with respect to thesecond lever 23 in the clockwise direction inFIG. 5 , the load is supported by thefirst cam portion 20 a through the first andsecond levers second levers actuator holding portion 23 b is separated from theactuator 13 b . Accordingly, even if an unintended large load is applied to the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor functioncancellation control member 26 from thevehicle sensor 13, the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor functioncancellation control member 26 does not malfunction and the canceled state of each of the functions of thewebbing sensor 12 and thevehicle sensor 13 is maintained. As described above, thefirst cam portion 20 a constitutes a cancellation-cancelling prevention unit of the present invention. - According to the
seat belt retractor 3 of the example, the function of thevehicle sensor 13 and the function of thewebbing sensor 12 can both be exerted. Furthermore, the cancellation of the function of thevehicle sensor 13 and the cancellation of the function of thewebbing sensor 12 are controlled by theretainer 15, thering gear 17, theeccentric gear 19, thecam plate 20, and the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor functioncancellation control member 26. Accordingly, with a simple configuration employing a single vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor functioncancellation control member 26, the cancellation of the function of thevehicle sensor 13 and the cancellation of the function of thewebbing sensor 12 can each be controlled easily. - In particular, when, at least, the
spool 9 has retracted the total amount of the seat belt 4, the function of thevehicle sensor 13 and the function of thewebbing sensor 12 are each canceled. Furthermore, by cancelling the function of thevehicle sensor 13 as above, thevehicle sensor 13 is made inoperable. With the above, it is possible to prevent abnormal sound from occurring from thevehicle sensor 13 of theseat belt retractor 3 that is not used (in other words, theseat belt retractor 3 of theseat belt apparatus 1 attached to thevehicle seat 2 with no occupant) while the vehicle is travelling. Furthermore, by cancellation of the function of thewebbing sensor 12 described above, thewebbing sensor 12 is made practically inoperable. With the above, when, at least, thespool 9 has stopped after the total amount of the seat belt 4 has been retracted in thespool 9, end lock that occurs when thewebbing sensor 12 is unintentionally operated can be prevented. - Furthermore, in a state in which the function of the
vehicle sensor 13 is canceled, even when an unintentional large load is applied to theactuator holding portion 23 b from theactuator 13 b of thevehicle sensor 13 due to some kind of cause, the first andsecond levers actuator holding portion 23 b becomes separated from theactuator 13 b . Accordingly, malfunction of the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor functioncancellation control member 26 caused by the load can be prevented and the state in which the function of thevehicle sensor 13 is canceled can be maintained. - Furthermore, since the
retainer 15, thering gear 17, theeccentric gear 19, and thecam plate 20 that are used in conventionalseat belt retractors 3 can be used, the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function mechanism can be formed without the need of any large design change and increase in the number of parts can be suppressed. As a result, even while enabling control of cancelling the function of thevehicle sensor 13 and cancelling of the function of thewebbing sensor 12, theseat belt retractor 3 can be formed in a compact manner. - As described above, according to the
seat belt retractor 3 of the example, the function of thevehicle sensor 13 and the function of thewebbing sensor 12 can be exerted and the above functions can be cancelled at a predetermined condition with a simple structure and with a fewer number of parts. - Meanwhile, according to the
seat belt apparatus 1 of the example, since it is possible to prevent occurrence of an abnormal sound and occurrence of an end lock in theseat belt retractor 3 in a further effective manner, the manipulability of the seat belt 4 is improved, the fastening operation of the seat belt 4 performed by the occupant can be performed in a smooth and stable manner, and the comfort while the vehicle is travelling can be improved. - Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described example and various changes in design can be made. For example, in the example described above, the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function
cancellation control member 26 is constituted by the two first andsecond levers cancellation control member 26 may be constituted by a singlefirst lever 22. In the above case, thelock claw 22 c of thesecond lever 23 is integrally provided in thefirst lever 22 as a corresponding lock claw. Furthermore, when the lock claw provided in thefirst lever 22 abuts against the tooth tip of aratchet tooth 17 b of thering gear 17, the firstlever biasing spring 24 becomes contracted such that impact is absorbed and relieved. However, since thecam follower 22 b needs to follow the first andsecond cam portions lever biasing spring 24 needs to be set larger than the biasing force of the secondlever biasing spring 25. Accordingly, in order for the impact described above to be absorbed and relieved in a further effective manner, as in the above-described example, it is desirable that the vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor functioncancellation control member 26 is constituted by the two first andsecond levers - Furthermore, in the above-described example, a single
common cam plate 20 that controls the rotation of the first andsecond levers second levers - The seat belt retractor and the seat belt apparatus of the present invention may be preferably used in a seat belt retractor that at least includes a vehicle sensor that stops withdrawal of the seat belt in an emergency and a wedding sensor that stops the withdrawal of the seat belt when the seat belt is rapidly withdrawn and may be preferably used in a seat belt apparatus employing the seat belt retractor.
- 1 seat belt apparatus
- 3 seat belt retractor
- 4 seat belt
- 6 tongue
- 7 buckle
- 8 frame
- 9 spool
- 11 lock gear
- 12 webbing sensor
- 12 a flywheel
- 12 b lock claw
- 13 vehicle sensor
- 13 a inertia ball
- 13 b actuator
- 13 c lock claw
- 15 retainer
- 15 b internal teeth
- 17 ring gear
- 17 a internal teeth
- 17 b ratchet teeth
- 18 eccentric disc
- 19 eccentric gear
- 19 a external teeth
- 19 b integral rotation pin
- 20 cam plate
- 20 a first cam portion (cancellation-cancelling prevention unit)
- 20 b second cam portion
- 20 c integral rotation hole
- 22 first lever
- 22 b cam follower
- 22 c lock claw
- 23 second lever
- 23 b actuator holding portion
- 24 first lever biasing spring
- 25 second lever biasing spring
- 26 vehicle sensor function/webbing sensor function cancellation control member
Claims (8)
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP2012254088A JP6041434B2 (en) | 2012-11-20 | 2012-11-20 | Seat belt retractor and seat belt device using the same |
JP2012-254088 | 2012-11-20 | ||
PCT/JP2013/077429 WO2014080702A1 (en) | 2012-11-20 | 2013-10-09 | Seat belt retractor and seat belt device using same |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20150217722A1 true US20150217722A1 (en) | 2015-08-06 |
US9428146B2 US9428146B2 (en) | 2016-08-30 |
Family
ID=50775891
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US14/431,231 Active US9428146B2 (en) | 2012-11-20 | 2013-10-09 | Seat belt retractor and seat belt apparatus employing seat belt retractor |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US9428146B2 (en) |
EP (1) | EP2923898B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP6041434B2 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2014080702A1 (en) |
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US20130048774A1 (en) * | 2011-08-29 | 2013-02-28 | Trw Vehicle Safety Systems Inc. | Sensor assembly for a vehicle occupant protection device |
US20150224958A1 (en) * | 2013-02-12 | 2015-08-13 | Ashimori Industry Co., Ltd. | Seat belt retractor |
CN105329203A (en) * | 2015-12-15 | 2016-02-17 | 浙江松原汽车安全***有限公司 | Safety belt retractor |
CN109177915A (en) * | 2018-09-14 | 2019-01-11 | 延锋汽车智能安全***有限责任公司 | Seat belt retractor and safety belt assembly |
US10214177B2 (en) * | 2014-04-16 | 2019-02-26 | Autoliv Development Ab | Belt retractor for a seatbelt device |
US10259424B2 (en) * | 2016-01-12 | 2019-04-16 | Wooshin Safety Systems Co., Ltd. | Pawl member holding unit of retractor for seat belt and retractor for seat belt having the same |
US20190256040A1 (en) * | 2018-02-18 | 2019-08-22 | Tk Holdings Inc. | Seat belt retractor |
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JP2015150902A (en) * | 2014-02-10 | 2015-08-24 | 芦森工業株式会社 | Retractor for seat belt |
JP6539102B2 (en) * | 2015-04-28 | 2019-07-03 | Joyson Safety Systems Japan株式会社 | Seat belt retractor and seat belt device |
DE102018127909B4 (en) | 2018-11-08 | 2021-12-02 | Autoliv Development Ab | Seat belt retractors |
CN109591757B (en) * | 2018-11-26 | 2021-02-19 | 浙江顶昌汽车部件有限公司 | Automobile safety belt retractor with anti-locking device |
JP7184290B2 (en) * | 2019-09-25 | 2022-12-06 | 株式会社東海理化電機製作所 | Webbing take-up device |
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US4749142A (en) | 1985-12-27 | 1988-06-07 | Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai-Rika-Denki-Seisakusho | Webbing retractor |
JP3787001B2 (en) * | 1996-05-24 | 2006-06-21 | エヌエスケー・オートリブ株式会社 | Seat belt retractor |
JP3947064B2 (en) | 2002-08-29 | 2007-07-18 | 株式会社東海理化電機製作所 | Webbing take-up device |
US7090304B2 (en) | 2004-07-16 | 2006-08-15 | Trw Vehicle Safety Systems Inc. | Retractor having vehicle sensitive sensor disabling mechanism |
JP4676345B2 (en) | 2005-01-20 | 2011-04-27 | 株式会社東海理化電機製作所 | Webbing take-up device |
US7637536B2 (en) * | 2006-03-20 | 2009-12-29 | Trw Vehicle Safety Systems Inc. | Retractor having mechanisms for disabling a vehicle sensitive sensor and for preventing webbing withdrawal |
JP2008049939A (en) * | 2006-08-28 | 2008-03-06 | Takata Corp | Device for controlling and releasing end lock and seat belt device using it |
JP2008081027A (en) | 2006-09-28 | 2008-04-10 | Takata Corp | Seat belt retractor and seat belt device using the same |
EP2084042B1 (en) | 2006-12-02 | 2012-04-18 | Autoliv Development AB | Seatbelt retractor with disabling of its belt-strap-sensitive and its vehicle-sensitive control system |
JP4976241B2 (en) | 2007-09-04 | 2012-07-18 | タカタ株式会社 | Seat belt retractor and seat belt device using the same |
JP2009061809A (en) * | 2007-09-04 | 2009-03-26 | Takata Corp | Seat belt retractor and seat belt device using the same |
JP5169182B2 (en) | 2007-11-30 | 2013-03-27 | オートリブ ディベロップメント エービー | Seat belt retractor |
CN102046434B (en) | 2008-05-27 | 2013-09-25 | 奥托立夫开发公司 | Seatbelt retractor with sensor switching-off |
DE102008052563B4 (en) | 2008-10-21 | 2015-02-12 | Autoliv Development Ab | Seat belt retractor with deactivatable locking system |
CN101380993B (en) | 2008-10-24 | 2012-05-30 | 沪东中华造船(集团)有限公司 | Detachable welding hanging bar for welding large-sized vertical joint |
DE102008056552B3 (en) | 2008-11-10 | 2010-06-17 | Autoliv Development Ab | Seat belt retractor with deactivatable locking system |
JP5242439B2 (en) * | 2008-11-17 | 2013-07-24 | タカタ株式会社 | Seat belt retractor and seat belt device provided with the same |
JP5403589B2 (en) * | 2009-02-09 | 2014-01-29 | オートリブ ディベロップメント エービー | Seat belt retractor |
JP5511076B2 (en) * | 2010-09-21 | 2014-06-04 | タカタ株式会社 | Seat belt retractor and seat belt device provided with the same |
JP2012192854A (en) * | 2011-03-17 | 2012-10-11 | Takata Corp | Seat belt retractor and seat belt device having the same |
JP5706757B2 (en) * | 2011-05-25 | 2015-04-22 | タカタ株式会社 | Seat belt retractor and seat belt device using the same |
JP5876332B2 (en) * | 2012-03-07 | 2016-03-02 | 芦森工業株式会社 | Seat belt retractor |
-
2012
- 2012-11-20 JP JP2012254088A patent/JP6041434B2/en active Active
-
2013
- 2013-10-09 EP EP13857483.5A patent/EP2923898B1/en not_active Not-in-force
- 2013-10-09 WO PCT/JP2013/077429 patent/WO2014080702A1/en active Application Filing
- 2013-10-09 US US14/431,231 patent/US9428146B2/en active Active
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US20130048774A1 (en) * | 2011-08-29 | 2013-02-28 | Trw Vehicle Safety Systems Inc. | Sensor assembly for a vehicle occupant protection device |
US10059301B2 (en) * | 2011-08-29 | 2018-08-28 | Trw Vehicle Safety Systems Inc. | Sensor assembly for a vehicle occupant protection device |
US20150224958A1 (en) * | 2013-02-12 | 2015-08-13 | Ashimori Industry Co., Ltd. | Seat belt retractor |
US9688240B2 (en) * | 2013-02-12 | 2017-06-27 | Ashimori Industry Co., Ltd. | Seat belt retractor |
US10214177B2 (en) * | 2014-04-16 | 2019-02-26 | Autoliv Development Ab | Belt retractor for a seatbelt device |
CN105329203A (en) * | 2015-12-15 | 2016-02-17 | 浙江松原汽车安全***有限公司 | Safety belt retractor |
US10259424B2 (en) * | 2016-01-12 | 2019-04-16 | Wooshin Safety Systems Co., Ltd. | Pawl member holding unit of retractor for seat belt and retractor for seat belt having the same |
US20190256040A1 (en) * | 2018-02-18 | 2019-08-22 | Tk Holdings Inc. | Seat belt retractor |
US10829085B2 (en) * | 2018-02-18 | 2020-11-10 | Joyson Safety Systems Acquisition Llc | Seat belt retractor |
CN109177915A (en) * | 2018-09-14 | 2019-01-11 | 延锋汽车智能安全***有限责任公司 | Seat belt retractor and safety belt assembly |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
JP2014101011A (en) | 2014-06-05 |
EP2923898A4 (en) | 2016-04-27 |
JP6041434B2 (en) | 2016-12-07 |
EP2923898A1 (en) | 2015-09-30 |
US9428146B2 (en) | 2016-08-30 |
EP2923898B1 (en) | 2017-07-12 |
WO2014080702A1 (en) | 2014-05-30 |
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